Evrensel tasarım yaklaşımı ile tasarlanmış iç mekânlar, her yaş, boyut ve yetenekteki bireylerin erişebileceği, kullanım kolaylığı sağlayan ve hayatları boyunca kendi evlerinde başta olmak üzere bu mekânlarda bağımsız olarak yaşamlarını devam ettirebilecekleri ve çevrelerindeki sosyal etkinliklere sağlıklı, güvenli katılımlarına olanak sağlamalıdır. Evrensel tasarım denince kişilerin fiziksel ve psiko-sosyal tüm gereksinmeleri göz önüne alınmalıdır. Bu bağlamda evrensel tasarım kavramını yalnızca engelliler için değil, yaşlı ve çocuk kullanıcılar için de düşünülmektedir. Günümüzdeki yaşam şeklinin çoğunun şehir yaşamına evrildiğini görülmektedir. Bunun bir sonucu olarak en değerli varlıklarımız olan çocuklarımız artık sokaklarda değil, daha güvenli ve sağlıklı olduğu düşünülen özelleştirilmiş çocuk oyun alanlarında vakit geçirmekteler. Çocuk oyun alanları dış mekânda büyük ve küçük kent parkları olarak ortaya çıksa da; iç mekânda da çok sayıda çocuk oyun alanına da rastlanmaktadır. Bunlardan en yaygın olanlarından biri Alışveriş Merkezleri (AVM) içerisinde bulunan çocuk oyun alanlarıdır. Bu çalışma kapsamında farklı sirkülasyon tipolojilerindeki neredeyse her AVM’de bulunan bu alanların sirkülasyon özellikleri açısından evrensel tasarım ölçütlerini ne ölçüde karşıladıkları araştırılmış ve Forum İstanbul Alışveriş Merkezi FUNLAB çocuk oyun alanı üzerinde detaylı inceleme yapılmıştır.  

The concept of universal design, which has come to the fore frequently in recent years and is an integral part of the design, is based on the principle of individuals of different gender, culture, age and physical abilities to perform physical activities without outside help. Not only disabled individuals, but also the elderly and children should be evaluated within this scope and their spaces should be designed considering universal design criteria. Undoubtedly, a significant portion of the population in our country consists of children aged 1-12. For this reason, it has become important that the spaces designed for them are well thought out. The increase in the preference for indoor children's games in recent years with urbanization has made it necessary to consider universal design principles in these spaces. Features Playgrounds in the shopping mall are used extensively. Both the routes from the entrance to the shopping mall to the children's playground and the areas reserved for circulation in the playground should be arranged in a way that allows children to pass safely. In the general circulation of the shopping mall, the entrances and exits to the playground and the location of the playground within the shopping mall and its proximity to the WCs should be accessible. Stairs that provide horizontal and vertical circulation on the specified routes should allow safe use of children in both material and dimensional aspects in elevators and corridors. In addition to the general circulation areas, it is very important to safely design the circulation areas in the playground. The materials used on the floor should be soft, non-slip and easy to clean, as well as the dimensions of the circulation areas and the safe passages between the equipment.Interiors designed with a universal design approach should allow individuals of all ages, sizes and abilities to access, provide ease of use and allow them to live independently in these places, especially in their own homes throughout their lives, and enable healthy, safe participation in social activities around them. When it comes to universal design, all physical and psycho-social needs of individuals should be taken into consideration. In this context, we should consider the concept of universal design not only for the disabled but also for elderly and child users. We see that most of today's lifestyle has evolved into urban life. As a result, our children, who are our most valuable assets, are not spending time on the streets but spending time in customized children's playgrounds that are considered safer and healthier. Although children's playgrounds appear as large and small urban parks outdoors; we also come across many children's playgrounds indoors. One of the most common of these is the children's playgrounds in the shopping malls. Within the scope of this study, the extent to which these areas in almost every shopping mall in different circulation typologies meet the universal design criteria in terms of circulation characteristics has been investigated and a detailed examination has been made on Forum Istanbul Shopping Center FUNLAB children's playground.